On one of the auction sites there's an alleged NIB model 58 WITH an adjustable rear sight! I know with S&W to never say never but this is unusual.
Ant thoughts out there? The grips and front site are typical 58's.

I can't imagine that it would work with an adjustable rear sight added without some modification to the front sight as well. Sounds seriously strange.

Nope, and nope! Pretty sure of one thing, it's not NIB.

Edit: Wherever it is, see if there's a picture of the rear sight and if so, is the groove of the original fixed sight visible under the sight?

Jeff
SWCA #1457

The seller has some pretty high end S&W's but this one has an odor to it. He's not a rookie seller either.

Is there a link to it?

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Pine_Worker
Ex-LEO, NRA Life

I'd sure like to see a picture of this.....thing.

Plus the Factory or SWHF Letter proving it is factory.

I’ll say it - Never. It goes without saying that the 58 is a fixed sight M&P style handgun. Maybe the seller can get it hard chromed and call it stainless…

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S&W factory revolver armorer

Surely to goodness this auction site has pictures of this gun. Given that, it's either a factory installation or it's not--and I vote not!

There was a time when, to quote the good Doctor Jinks, "They would do anything anybody would pay them to do." Those times are looooooooong gone!

Somebody else once said "Let the buyer beware!" Those times are still with us!

Ralph Tremaine

As a COMPLETE aside, there are more than a few fixed sight guns (all of which I've seen being of the pre-war vintage), and predominately N frames, with drift adjustable rear sights installed---a la those done by the factory for the Bisley matches. None of those, other than those actually done by the factory looked like the factory's---which were truly "drift adjustable"----with one hand even---just whack it on the bench! The others were most certainly still "drift adjustable"----with a hammer in one hand, a punch in the other, and holding on to the gun with your third hand!!

It takes all kinds---a very few of which have the sense God gave a peanut!!

As others have said it is modified. I might consider it if it was reaaaal inexpensive. Otherwise a big ol Nope.

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Even older, even crankier....

I'll not link to the live auction, but the asking price is outrageous.

Attached Images

modified model 58.jpg (176.5 KB, 194 views)

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Even older, even crankier....

Definitely a hack job. That's one way to devalue what was once a very valuable gun. That seller is not naive, he knows what he has and is not disclosing the carnage. I would not buy it at any price.

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FBINA, 204th Session

Why would someone go to the trouble & work involved making a Model 58 to have an adjustable rear sight when they could just buy a Model 57? Ya see, now that I have recently acquired an M57, my 1st S&W .41 Magnum, I'm a seasoned pro with the S&W .41 Magnum! (Okay, that was just a joke...ha ha ha...pffffttt!)
Now, in the seller's defense, the factory accidentally punched the wrong model number on it, then the stocks putter-on-er put M58 stocks on it.
Or, we can just call male bovine waste product and move on!
505Gibbs, if you have some extra cash laying around, drop some cash and show us your new-to-you revolver. (Easy for me or anyone else to say!!)
Again, I'm not a .41 S&W professional!! Jeff T.

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There's a Monster on the loose

It's a 58. One of the pictures shows the scalloped area for the fixed rear sight underneath the adjustable sight leaf. The front sight is stock 58, as is the barrel (no underlug).

I sent the seller a question asking who modified the gun....we'll see if they respond.

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Even older, even crankier....

Given the guns he/she is or has offered now or in past auctions this one screams out as being altered & shouldn't be offered as original!

The frame at the rear has been radiused to accommodate the sight. Looks very odd. Definitely not NIB because of the radius and reblue.

Odd is being very generous, and polite. I am constantly amazed at what shows up on the internet. I was just looking at an early Chiefs Special, apparently nickel that is listed as a model 63!!! Let's get real please.

That 58 was forever damaged. Who ever did it probably could not get it to shoot to point of aim so up for sale it goes.

I tweaked them as well - let's see what happens.

Poor old M58s, they seem to get cut up more than anything except 1917s.

Now if this one had been reamed out to .45 LC and a correct height front sight put on, it would be counted a treasure.

Bubba is going to do what a bubba does.

Bubba is given or inherits the Model 58. He wants an Adjustable Sight because every 'noob' knows Adjustable Sights makes you a better shooter. So zero cost to him except buying Adjustable Sights. Trading the M58 for a M57 he will have to kick in some dollars. By doing it this way he saves $10.

I don't think that so call gunsmithing was done recently.

Bubba had the Adjustable Sight put on. Bubba put a target at seven yards or so, then took six shots and declared it was ready for Home Protection or whatever and sat in the nightstand for years until he passes and an inheritor sold it.

No response so far and the ad still reads the same. Given this, there is no way I would buy from this person.

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Even older, even crankier....

The front sight will not be tall enough with out modifications.

At a Crossroads of the West show decades ago a vendor had some 1911 slides with S&W revolver sight on them. they looked good.

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"Don't Give Up the Ship"

Not sure why a person would spend the money to put a standard adjustable Model 57 type rear sight on a Model 58 but know others have done it. Me, I prefer to violate my Model 58s with Bowens combat sights.

Hamilton Bowen turned this Model 58 into a 44 Magnum Heavy Duty. Stocks by Roy Fishpaw.

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Tim
SWCA #2697

Another photo, stocks are Amboyna Burl.

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Tim
SWCA #2697

If this photo is the gun in question it looks like the rear sight is a stainless sight that, to my knowledge, was only used on early Model 66s. Even if the gun has been modified by the addition of an adjustable rear sight there has to be modification to the front sight also! A-10s photo doesn't show the front sight.

The reason for emphasis of the word sight is because sight and site are two distinctly different words having vastly different meanings! They are not interchangeable.

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Gunsmithing since 1961

That modification, S&W Adjustable Sights on a 1911 was very popular in the late 1960s and 1970s.

That was a Great Gun Show.

I get it

Pic was pulled from the auction site...sight is blue. Front sight is stock 58.

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Even older, even crankier....

Did you also modify a M57 barrel for that, or ?? (extractor rod shroud, but front sight is different).

No more of these than were originally made, the more valuable our unmodified ones become as these fine revolvers get butchered for the sake of being unique or because the owner really wanted a different gun but couldn't find it.

I'm a purist, I suppose.

Attached Images

IMG_2655.jpg (191.8 KB, 10 views)

Post #30 above, from originally posted #23, center picture, the rear sight looks normal & not all gawdy like add-on sights. Nice gun, too!

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There's a Monster on the loose

BLASPHEMY!

The first gun in my post, without grips, is a 41 Special round butt 58 with a rebored model 520 barrel. The second gun wears a model 25 barrel and was rechambered to 45 Colt. Both guns wear Hamiltons sights.

Probably Not! The machined recess for the adjustable rear sight base would have removed that groove in the frame top!
jcelect